This year has seen an inordinate number of IT meltdowns. Computer glitches have grounded planes, tampered with the stock market, ruined travel plans, and resulted in stolen credit cards. They have also led to life-threatening situations by disrupting healthcare and emergency services.
Here’s a recap of 2017’s biggest IT disasters to remind us how much we rely on and are dependent on data systems.

On 25 May 2018, South African companies with an EU customer base must comply with new rules and legislation concerning the collection, storage, and processing of personal information also known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Christmas rush has started. The postal service warned South African residents that if they want their Christmas parcels sent abroad to arrive on time, they must have been sent by October – so they may already be too late.

Can purchasing gifts online for local delivery also experience delays? Sadly, yes. Even if gift orders are placed online today, the parcels may still not arrive on time for Christmas.

New investments in the free flow of data between systems in South Africa will enable manufacturers to achieve new levels of efficiency and gain a competitive advantage. System integration budgets in South Africa are predicted to grow to R10,5-billion in 2021, up from R9,4-billion in 2016.

By Stephan Romeder, Vice President of Global Business Development , Magic Software

No one feels the Christmas rush more than retailers, and this includes sellers online. UK Retailers can expect another bumper year in 2017 with an estimated £79 billion in holiday retail sales, a 4 percent increase from 2016.

Not only does the last quarter of the year see increases in the number of orders, but the average order sizes also tend to be much bigger. In fact, some retailers make up to 40% of their yearly revenue in the last quarter alone.

On 25th May 2018, new rules and legislation concerning the collection, storage and processing of personal information relating to individuals in the European Union (EU), also known as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will come into effect.